Page 124 - The Dinosaur Book and Other Wonders of the Prehistoric World (DK-Smithsonian)

Therizinosaurs

The beak-tipped jaws were
adapted for eating leaves, which At up to Fossils of related Erlikosaurus

The age of dinosaurs long, Therizinosaurus forming a furlike coat.
all therizinosaurs chewed
using small cheek teeth.
36 ft (11 m)
species show simple
feathers that were
like flattened hairs,
was as big as a
tyrannosaur.

Nothronychus was Therizinosaurus
the first therizinosaur
to be found in North
America; the others
have all been found in
Nothronychus
Mongolia and China.

A long neck helped
Nothronychus reach
high into the trees to
gather leaves; it stood
up to 12 ft (3.6 m) tall.

The body was bulkier than
a typical theropod, and the
posture more upright.

Like all theropods,
therizinosaurs stood
on their hind legs, The swordlike, curved claws Sturdy, broad feet were
which were unusually were about 3 ft (1 m) long and adapted for supporting the
short compared had sharp tips, making them animal’s weight and not
to their bodies. effective weapons. for moving at speed.

Most theropods were sharp-toothed, agile teeth, and bulky bodies, suggesting that they
hunters, but the therizinosaurs were probably fed on plants instead of hunting prey.
different. Very few complete fossils have been They were long-armed members of the
found, but when paleontologists pieced together maniraptorans—a group of theropods related to
the evidence, therizinosaurs turned out to be birds—and like them, were feathered. But the
122 unusual. They had beaked jaws, leaf-shaped cheek feathers seem to have been reduced to slender

US_122-123_Therizinosaurs.indd 122 10/04/18 3:34 PM